Steely Dan – Aja Canada 1978 red vinyl LP

$75.00

Offered for sale is a limited edition red vinyl pressing of Steely Dan’s Aja, released in Canada in 1978.

Steely Dan’s Aja is regarded by many as the band’s best work, and it’s also a popular title among audiophiles. Early pressings are sought out because the master tapes to this (and other) Steely Dan albums were lost sometime in the mid-1980s, and subsequent reissues simply don’t sound as good as earlier pressings.

During the late 1970s, collectors were showing a lot of interest in picture discs and colored vinyl, and record companies around the world issued a number of popular titles in both formats. In Canada, Aja was released on colored vinyl as both red and yellow vinyl pressings in 1978. The yellow vinyl pressings are relatively common, but the red vinyl copies are quite rare in comparison. For whatever reason, the record company pressed about five times as many yellow copies as red ones.

About this pressing: This is a copy of the 1978 Canadian red vinyl pressing of Aja, issued as a limited edition.

The cover is VG++, with faint traces of wear at the corners. It’s very close to M-. The red vinyl record is M-, with just a couple of very faint sleeve scuffs on side 2. The original lyric sleeve is included.

We don’t know what tapes were used to master this red vinyl LP, nor do we know who mastered it. It is, however, one of the best-sounding pressings of this LP we’ve ever heard. While the primary appeal of this pressing will be the fact that it’s pressed on red vinyl, it does sound great, and that’s a nice bonus.

The matrix numbers on the disc are:

Side 1: 9022-1006-A

Side 2: 9022-1006-B

A gorgeous copy of a terrific record and one that rarely turns up in this condition.